Adventures Abroad

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Wednesday, February 11, 2015

How to Plan a Girls' Trip to Iceland!

Name the first thing that comes to your mind when I say Iceland. For me, it is hard to say just one thing because I think of a land full of mystery, adventure, fire and ice, horses, puffins, elves, and The Oswald Girls. Yes, you have guessed correctly—The Oswald Girls are taking on Iceland for an all-girls trip! So, how did a bunch of girls decide to head to Iceland? Well, read on to figure out why Iceland was chosen and how to plan your own girls' trip!

Why Just The Girls?

For the past 7 years, my family has been through one hell of a roller coaster ride. We have experienced very painful years like when we lost my Father and Grandfathers, and then, quite a few wonderful years of children being born and B and I getting married. Yet, year 8 approached and showed signs of being another testing year for my family. So, we decided it was time for just us girls to have a vacation.

How Did We Pick Iceland?

My Mom and Steph!

The Travel Jar!

While the winos, I mean us girls, sipped wine near a
fireplace one night we decided to fulfill a bucket list entry. There will be 4
of us going—Steph, Kim, my Mom, and I. So, with that in mind, I had everyone tell
me 3 countries that they wanted to visit, which included Italy, Iceland, Switzerland,
Scotland, Austria, Hungary, and Germany. I gathered the data and wrote it on
dark paper and taped each one shut—I couldn’t have anyone cheating! I took the
folded pieces of our bucket list and placed them inside a mason jar. We waited
a full week with anticipation until my sister could get in from Cali. Once in,
we toasted and each chose 1 piece of paper out of the jar. Then, each piece of
paper was announced with a smile. I passed out 4 new pieces of paper and asked
everyone to write down their top pick and 3 things they wished to find,
accomplish, or wanted out of the trip. Well, majority vote ruled—The Oswald
Girls will be heading to Iceland! Come back in September to find out what we each
wanted to fulfill and if we succeeded. Also, follow me on Instagram @BrownEyedTraveler for updates on all of the adventures I go on.

Our 2 locations!

How Did We Book?

First, you always want to research! I had a list of places
for my family to see, but it got narrowed down quickly based off of
availability. I called American Express and spoke with a travel agent because we
needed 4 plane tickets, 2 different hotels with 2 rooms each, and 2 different cities—like I have said in previous posts, sometimes travel agents are easier and cheaper to work with! Anyways, The Oswald Girls will be flying only 5.5 hours to get to Iceland from the DC area! Not bad,
right? Next, we found two hotels in Reykjavik and Akureyri.

How Do We Plan To Get Around?

Yours truly! No, but seriously, we will be renting a car
upon our arrival. I am looking at a Jeep Grand Cherokee for some off-roading for the 12 days that we are in Iceland. Also, the estimated time between the two cities is about 4.5-5 hours by car. Did
I mention that I will probably be driving since most of the time car rentals in other countries
are manual?

Where Do We Want To Go?Iceland is more of a country for driving and exploring. It would not be the best idea to spend 8 full days in Reykjavik and 4 days in Akureyri. With that being said, we will also be visiting Gulfoss, Jokulsarlon, Vik, Snaefellsnes, Heimaey, Dettifoss, and...anywhere the road may take us. We plan to off-road a little and check out the roads less traveled.

Snaefellsnes in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty!

Now, you wait for updates on my trip to Iceland and start planning your own trip immediately!

How Do I Plan My Own Girls' Trip?

Find a few close friends or family members.

Create a budget.

Create a list of 3 countries you want to see.

Create a jar full of all the countries everyone wants to see.

Have each person choose a piece of paper.

Have everyone vote for their favorite. Majority rules!

Now, get to researching!

Take your time. Do not expect to get this accomplished in a month if you are strapped for cash! Take your time to plan and build up your funds. For example, Iceland is not too pricey to fly into—less than $700 round trip! However, renting a 4x4 car is about $1600 for 12 days. So, you can see that small things may add up depending on what you are looking to do. Be smart!

Book it and start reading about activities you want to do! Sometimes it is worth booking activities in advance so that they do not fill up before you arrive. Go to Barnes & Nobles and pick up a travel book...I recommend making sure it is from at least 2014.

About Me

Welcome to BrownEyedTraveler! My name is Katarina Wilcox and I have a passion for travel, wine, the great outdoors, and as you may see, a small addiction to my adorable nonhuman son, Atlas. Check back for new adventures and new ideas!
I can be contacted through the following:
FB: www.facebook.com/kvo88
Instagram: http://instagram.com/browneyedtraveler/
E: KOswald26@gmail.com